Daily Trip 28 August 2017

We had a spectacular time out on the ocean with a breaching brindle Southern Right Whale…

Written by Jax, August 28 2017

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Guide Summary and Photographs

The weather has calmed a bit in the bay making for a picture perfect sea day with two lovely trips.

The first trip of the day got to see quite a few Southern Right Whales after only having been out of the harbour for 15 minutes and, this was a very special sighting indeed. We found our second Southern Right Calf for the season, with this one being just old enough for us to spend some time observing.

Although these cuties may look tiny in comparison to their gigantic moms, these little calves are born at a staggering weight of one tonne and can be up to 5m in length. Whilst in the area, the calves grow considerably, up to a few centimetres in a day, and this is due to them consuming copious amounts of their mother’s nutrient rich milk. We stayed with this pair for a bit before moving onto a second group of whales who were exceptionally playful.

We watched in awe as the whales frolicked in the milky turquoise water and we were even lucky enough to get some tail action with one of the whales exposing its beautiful flukes not once but twice!

After this, we took a stop by our Cape Fur Seals and spotted some African Penguins in the deep sea before heading back to the harbour.

The second trip hit the jackpot too, as they got to see a mother and calf pair and a breaching brindle Southern Right just as we were about to approach the Slashfin. We do not get to see the Southern Rights breach every day and although it was a little further off, we all enjoyed it immensely.

Whilst watching the whales, we also had a Great White shark pop up out of nowhere, travelling just under the surface of the water towards the shallows. Although we often find them travelling close to the water’s surface in summer along our beaches, it was somewhat unusual to have this guy pass us in such deep water. Great Whites are, interestingly enough, known to darken in complexion when they spend their time a little closer to the sun and this is one of the reasons that accounts for the large colour variation that we see in this mysterious species.

After this, we got to see a Southern Right Whale practice some sailing, which is when the stick their tail flukes out of the water for prolonged periods of time. Although we’re not entirely sure why they do this, with some attributing it to thermoregulation, we can all agree that it is absolutely remarkable to catch sight of those massive tail flukes in the air. This was definitely the highlight of the trip with the seals and the penguins ,which came thereafter, just completing the experience, much like a couple of cherries on a perfectly iced cake.

If you would like to get hold of your trip footage, please download the credit card authorization form here to complete and forward it through to bookings@whalewatchsa.com. Please be sure to mention the date and launching time with response. Our team will reply with a direct link to your video footage for download, please allow 72 hours to footage to be uploaded. Download link will be valid for 6 months.

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Dyer Island Cruises live by the ‘Discover and Protect’ slogan, and we strive to provide you with the utmost conservation oriented and respect ethos offered on the market. Both are BEE Level 1 companies and certified by Fair Trade in Tourism.

We are providing training and job opportunities for people from the local communities to become involved in the booming tourism industry. As one of only two BEE level 1 companies in the Gansbaai area, we employ a majority of previously disadvantaged people from the local community, and we encourage them to further their education, training and horizon to get a better grasp of life and the world.